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8/12/14

From the TBR Shelf #24: The Man Who Saved the Union by H. W. Brands

The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace
(2012) by H. W. Brands
(Random House Audio Publishing Group; Books on Tape, 27
hrs, 51 mins)

I've
got this thing
about the American Civil War. No, I'm not a reenactor, or the kind of
person who goes on pilgrimages to Gettysburg or Appomattox. However,
I do love soaking up information about the people involved, the
fateful decisions, the ways in which Americans ripped their own
country apart and then worked equally hard to repair it.

The
Man Who Saved the Union,
then, was perfect for me. After all, it wasn't just about Grant;
Brands uses the general to explore the issues of his time, which
shaped who Grant would ultimately become. His life is the
quintessential story of the person who rises up from nothing to
become powerful and respected by an entire nation.

From
his time at West Point, to his fruitless search for meaningful
employment during his twenties and thirties, up to his reinstatement
in the army and triumph over the Confederacy, Grant remained a quiet,
thoughtful person, moving through life without any specific plan. His
success as a general in the Union Army won over Lincoln, and Grant's
confidence in his own military strategies enabled him to defeat Lee
and force the Confederacy to abandon hopes of further revolt.

As Brands points out, several of our presidents were former military
men, and Grant's election was almost inevitable. He had become a
symbol of American unity and victory, a calm, determined man who
would knit the country back together without debasing the states that
had tried to secede. Grant never sought political office, and as
president, he never got used to public speaking or political
shenanigans. Nonetheless, during both terms, Grant advocated for the
rights of African Americans and the rule of law in states that still
attempted to defy the federal government.

And
as I've pointed out in other reviews of biographies, many such books
make their subjects sound like saintly wonders and everyone else
misguided or stupid. While Brands doesn't go to that extreme, he does
cast a very rosy glow on Grant, making me wonder just how amazingly
wonderfully fantastic he really was. After all, Grant was
human, and made his share of mistakes, both in his personal and
political life. But he was also faced with some of the greatest
challenges of his time, and valued fairness and determination above
all else.

So
if you're into Civil War history or presidential biographies, The
Man Who Saved the Union
is right up your alley.